The Federal Government has revealed that some states are experiencing flooding due to constant torrential rainfall.
Applesbite reports that the Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, said this during the 2023 budget defence of the ministry at the National Assembly on Wednesday.
Adamu stated the flooding in the country can be attributed to water flowing from tributaries of the River Katsina-Ala and other rivers into the River Benue due to downpours.
The Minister pointed out that the Lagdo Dam in Cameroon was not responsible for the flooding which has led to the deaths and displacement of some Nigerians.
Reacting to a claim raised by the Senator representing Kebbi Central, Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central) that Cameroon was responsible for the floods, the Minister stated that there was no truth in the claim.
Adamu said, “Yes, the dam releases water; sometimes it releases water without notice, and when they do that, it has an impact on communities downstream. It is not the main reason you have floods in this country. The tributaries of the river Benue are the main cause. And this year, the rains have been unprecedented.
“The transboundary waters that even come into this country from the rivers Niger and Benue constitute only 20 per cent of the freshwater that flows into the country.”
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The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has said about 2.5 million persons have been affected and over 603 persons killed following the flood disaster which hit parts of Nigeria in the last two months.
Houses and farmlands have been submerged in Lagos, Yobe, Borno, Taraba, Adamawa, Edo, Delta, Kogi, Niger, Plateau, Benue, Ebonyi, Anambra, Bauchi, Gombe, Kano, Jigawa, Zamfara, Kebbi, Sokoto, Imo, Abia States, and the Federal Capital Territory.
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The presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has appealed to his counterparts in other parties to suspend their campaigns to honour victims of flood across the country.
Obi made the appeal during a visit to Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State at his Abuja private residence to commiserate with him over the flood disaster in his domain.
He called on Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, and Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, amongst others to join him to help victims of floods in the country.
Obi said he expected other presidential candidates to show concern for the plight of victims of flooding, considering how millions were spent on nomination forms alone.
